With over two in five UK households sharing their house with a pet, the majority being either a cat or dog, it’s important to consider how this additional family member can affect the decision to install wood flooring in the home.

There is a common assumption that wood flooring and pets do not go well together. We’re not sure where this comes from as it is simply not true - hardwood floors and animals can coexist.
Although there are a few things you need to be aware of before you install wood flooring in a home with pets.

Before addressing some of the common queries surrounding wood flooring and pets, it is important to understand that there will be differences depending on what type of animal you have, from the species (rabbit, dog, cat) to the breed of that species (chihuahua, labrador, bulldog).
The size, weight and age of the animal will all play a role in how much of an impact they have on your wood flooring, so please keep that in mind.

Which type of wood flooring is best for pets

When choosing a wood flooring for your home, as a pet owner, you should be considerate of how it will affect your pet and what will work best for them too.

For example, a pet running around the house is added footfall and pressure on the floor so you should stick with the more durable species of wood, such as maple and oak, to accommodate this just as you would in a space where you have a lot of guests or in a home with a big family.

We would advise that you avoid a species like walnut as it is far too soft to withstand the pressure that it would be under with a pet running around.

You also need to think about the finish that you opt for as this is the protective barrier between the surface of the wood and your pet(s).

You’ll want to use a finish that shields your wood floors from some of the hazards caused by having a pet such as exposure to moisture from accidents and scratches from their claws.
As a result, we would recommend an oil finish as this is the most protective and durable, especially against scratches and dents.

Oils also look great, enhance the natural beauty of your wood flooring and hide scratches really well.

Learn more about finishing your wood floors here

How to maintain wood floors with a pet

Wood flooring requires regular maintenance as it is (How To Maintain Your Wood Floors) but with the added wear and tear that comes with having a pet in the house, floor maintenance will need to step up a notch or two to keep it looking good for as long as possible.

Most pets shed a lot on a daily basis which will leave your home, and wood floors, covered in pet hair.
One of the benefits of having wood floors rather than carpet, is that you can easily get rid of these hairs by sweeping your floors at the end of every day - or throughout the day, if it gets that bad - which requires very little time or effort.

Then there is the dirt that pets can bring in from outside. We humans have the advantage of removing, or even just wiping, our shoes before we come inside; whereas our four-legged family members travel indoors and outside on the same thing - their paws.

We know that you can’t always clean your pets’ paws every time they come inside, but fortunately, if this is not always possible, it’s easy enough to clean up after a pet when they are walking on wood floor. Mud, dirt and rainwater can be quickly wiped away without leaving any marks or stains on your flooring.

If you have a young pet, like a puppy, who is going through the process of being trained then you can expect a few in-house accidents along the way. This is often a great reason to have hardwood flooring as it is far easier to wipe clean than a carpet when a pet doesn’t make it outside for their toilet break.
You do need to take action immediately after the accident takes place to avoid any long-term water damage to the flooring so you should be on high alert if you know that your pet is prone to indoor accidents.

Finally, the biggest concern for homeowners with pets and wood floors, is the damage that can be caused by their sharp claws scratching along the surface of the wood.
These will, inevitably, cause some damage to your floors over time but you can reduce the amount of damage - and how quickly it occurs - by doing one simple thing; regularly cutting your pets’ nails/claws. Even panning your daily walks to include hard surfaces like tarmac and keep those claws nice and trim.

If there has been damage to your flooring (often something that takes a number of years), it can easily be fixed by refinishing your wood floors.
This will remove the damaged top layer of wood to reveal a new and untouched layer leaving your floors looking as good as new.

Quick tips for pet owners with wood floors

• Consider an oil finish for your flooring as this is the best protective barrier for wood
• Stick with a more durable species such as maple or oak
• Keep your pets’ nails/claws short to reduce the risk of them scratching the surface of the floor
• Keep a towel by any door that they enter through so you can clean their paws before they start walking around the house
• Regularly sweep down your floor to remove any pet hairs
• Place training pads in the areas of the home where your pet is more likely to have an accident
• Consider refinishing wood floors that have undergone years of wear and tear with a pet

As always, we are on hand to help you with your wood flooring purchase in any way we can to make the process as easy and stress-free as possible.

We can provide expert advice on the right wood flooring for your home if you do have any pets, and we can even install this wood flooring for you to ensure that you have the home you have always dreamed of.